Holiday wish: You park only where allowed

It's Christmas season and parking lots are likely to be full, with drivers jockeying for coveted spaces near stores.

Some of those spaces closest to stores are set aside for people whose disabilities make it difficult for them to cover longer distances to get to where they need to go, but too many people park in handicapped parking spaces they are not entitled to use.

The Paralyzed Veterans of America website says it's a growing problem made worse because there's little enforcement and fines are too low to deter those who do it.

That group recommends "education and warnings, followed by ticketing and steep fines," and also suggests that people who see violations report the license plates to the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Now police in Arvada are starting to crack down on drivers who use those spaces when they should not. The police there have written 120 tickets in just two months.

Police in other Colorado communities probably could write just as many tickets if they made a concentrated effort to look for offenders.

Some parking scofflaws don't have placards or license plates saying they can use the spaces, others forge placards to continue to use them after they have expired. Still other able-bodied people use the spaces when the handicapped people to whom the placards are issued are not present.

Handicapped people get these accommodations because they need them.

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Those who are able-bodied should appreciate the fact they're able to walk a bit longer to get into stores and other public buildings, and leave the handicapped parking to those who truly need it.

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